beat. That was the best performance I have ever seen and I hope you guys play at our school again.” Explaining the meaning of the songs and where they belong in Brazilian culture was also important for the students: “The thing I really liked was how you explained what songs you were going to play before you did play. I appreciate how you put your beat together.” Another student remarked, “I remember the first song you sang to us. It was marvelous, delightful and incredible that I can not describe it by words.”
Audience Participation Students expressed a certain level of enjoyment because they were invited to participate in the performance by clapping and asking questions: “I absolutely enjoyed listening to your wonderful music, and clapping to the rhythm” and “I liked how one of the band members got off the stage and asked people to join in.” They asked questions “because we wanted to know more about the music.”
Music elements
Students identified some very specific elements in Brazilian music that pleased them, particularly in their favorite pieces, the first and last. These pieces featured only drums and were loud and fast: “Wonderful music. I really enjoyed the first song. It had a lot of beat to it. There was so much bass that the ground was shaking” and “I liked the first song because it woke me up right away.” Other students added, “I liked the last song. I thought that one was the best” and “The last piece was marvelous and impressive, it was my favorite one.” The Brazilian drums and rhythms elicited a very positive response from the students: “Your instruments have nice beats. The rhythms of the songs were off the hook. It means it was cool. It was like a refreshing vacation after a long day of laboring in the hot sun [February is really cold in this region of the country]. You sure can describe the cool looking instruments of Brazil.” Although they could not recall the Portuguese names, they certainly remembered that the drums were big and loud: “Favorite instrument was the huge drum (even though I cannot remember the name of it). Thank you for giving us a new music” and “The music was loud, energetic and made me want to dance. The music was massively entertaining and you were so loud. I could feel the beat of the drums and instruments.” A few other remarks include “The music was very invigorating and woke me up” and “The music was entertaining to us and it was also massively loud and enjoyable. The first think that I liked about the music was that it was loud and it was refreshing, too.”
Introducing the instruments during the performance was important: “Some things we
enjoyed about your
performance were that you explained your instruments to us and told us where they
40 February/March 2016
originated from” and “I loved all your songs, and I loved the way you explained about your instruments, it really help me understand a little bit more.”
Familiarity with Brazilian music Students transferred knowledge from American to Brazilian music: “It was like I had listened to these songs for a long time. They kind of had a hip-hop beat to them.” It seemed important to them to identify familiar instruments: “My favorite drum was the sneardrum [sic] because I know what it is and I also played it before.” Performers’ Enthusiasm: stage presence and professional behavior
Students in this study noticed the enthusiasm performers showed during the performance identifying this behavior with good stage presence and professionalism. For instance, one student commented, “Everyone in your group played with enthusiasm,” which “made me feel like getting up and dance. Everyone came out energized and ready to make a jump off.” Students even pointed out their appreciation for the performance attire: “I liked the way you dressed for the show. Black is my favorite color.”
The energy level of the performers positively impacted students in the audience: “You all played with enthusiasm and that was very admirable.” Students also noticed that the performers exhibited confidence performing in front of them: “You were so skilled and comfortable with the drums” and “It looked like your group was elated to perform and also comfortable.” Other students added that “Another thing I enjoyed is the way you all came down off of the stage is looked cool from
a distance above” and “You acted sophisticated and you acted like you knew exactly what you were doing.” Another student wrote, “I want to thank you again because you are all skilled performers.”
Students noticed the leader’s professionalism and enthusiasm: “My favorite part was when that guy [the master drummer] was dancing with the tambourine. I think he was doing the cripwalk [sic], and he can really dance.” Another student added, “My favorite band member is the guy on snare [the master drummer]. He plays very fast and looks like he know [sic] what he is doing.” Taking time to introduce the members of the group was also perceived as a positive performance aspect because it fostered a more personal relationship: “You introduced yourselves and that really helped because if we had a question we would know whom to ask” and “I liked that you introduced yourselves.”
Singing in Portuguese Participants in this study appreciated the time performers dedicated to explaining the meaning of the songs in Portuguese and were glad even when they did not fully understand the meaning of the songs: “Even though I didn’t understand or assimilate the language, you performed what you were trying to say.” Another student expressed that “I really enjoyed the singing even though I don’t understand the language. After hearing you explain and talk about the songs, I learned what the songs meant and learned more about how the people and the country of Brazil thinks and feels.”
Explaining the cultural context of the songs was also important: “I liked that you explained your culture, languages, and the kind of songs that you
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